Many of the travels I haven't listed are due to my work, but the most interesting and rewarding work travel seems to be when I am teaching one of two IBM internal courses. This time the rental car I was given at the airport sure looked a lot like a Mustang sports car! Here's a picture below. Believe it or not, this is an inexpensive "compact car", a Chevy Cobalt, from Avis rentals! It was fun to drive and got good gas mileage too!
One of the real perks of travelling to Boulder Colorado is the wonderful weather in spring through fall, and even when the weather is wintry, the nearby town of Longmont has built a wonderful rec center with a nice lap pool. The pool is on the right side of the building, didn't get a photo this time. Great place for the whole family, and we've all been there on a prior trip out to Colorado to the Heritage Camp!
March 2008
Palisades NY Conference
Hard to believe sometimes the way airlines now treat paying passengers! This recent trip from RDU in Central NC to White Plains (NY) Airport was filled with surprises. Thank goodness, I wasn't due to either arrive on time or depart to return on time as neither came even close to happening. And to top it off, the airport in between, Dulles, requires you pay for their WiFi access for your laptop. So I got to pay for the privilege of being stuck in the airport in between.
Survived the return, got even better after getting my original Thursday evening departure cancelled, United Express than had delays on my early morning flight that would make it impossible to make the connection they gave me. So when I arrived at the hub airport, Dulles, my one checked bag apparently had been routed on a separate plane. When I arrived at RDU and waited for all the bags of other passengers to be claimed, the airline told me I had to wait another 75min for a different plane holding my bag to arrive. They wouldn't be responsible if it was stolen! No security check at our Raleigh-Durham airport for bags once they come off the plane. Come to think of it, only in Europe in travels within past year has anyone checked to match my bag claim ticket with my bag! I was not happy -- complaints to the United 800 number went nowhere (they used to bring your bag to you if they did something like separate bag from passenger, not anymore!)
So good thing the conference in between the travels went OK and the exercise options there were fantastic. Nowhere else have I ever come across a 5 lane 25y indoor pool that was part of the conference center and set aside exclusively for lap swimming from 5am to 10pm every day!
Inspiring Swimmers!
On the inspirational front, AARP magazine has more and more people on the cover who I'm surprised turned 50, this month Jamie Lee Curtis (sure looks good for 50!). Inside an article about a guy who dropped 30lb after taking up swimming among other things and then went on to do the Alcatraz swim! Here's the link if you have time, dear reader! This guy got down to 30min/mile by reportedly doing just distance swimming. Hmm, right now after being at this for a bit over 3 years, my best is 32:30 but my total workouts range more in the 1200-1500y range (that's what I usually finish within 45min or so).
And our Carolinas LMSC has an online newsletter now, with another inspirational tale of a guy (p5) who had bypass surgery in 1995, What a recovery in 13yrs! Also noted in that issue is a photo of Carly Piper. And to think when we went to Charlotte, the swimmer working with us was Carly Piper, photo featured above -- I had no idea she had already been an Olympian! Most memorable moment, doing simple freestyle dives from blocks and coast as far as you can without using your arms, Carly went fully 1/2 the length of the 25y pool repeatedly!
1Q2008
Boulder CO Class
Now the first trip of 2008 was to teach a 3 day course at my little company. Since it was in Boulder CO and I live in Central NC, had to travel day before and leave day after completing course, so it was a whole week of travels. Long trips like this give me plenty of time to reflect, sometimes on how I ought to be a lot more thankful to my family and friends than I have been!
Table of Contents
June 2010
Boulder Colorado AT Class
Many of the travels I haven't listed are due to my work, but the most interesting and rewarding work travel seems to be when I am teaching one of two IBM internal courses. This time the rental car I was given at the airport sure looked a lot like a Mustang sports car! Here's a picture below. Believe it or not, this is an inexpensive "compact car", a Chevy Cobalt, from Avis rentals! It was fun to drive and got good gas mileage too!One of the real perks of travelling to Boulder Colorado is the wonderful weather in spring through fall, and even when the weather is wintry, the nearby town of Longmont has built a wonderful rec center with a nice lap pool. The pool is on the right side of the building, didn't get a photo this time. Great place for the whole family, and we've all been there on a prior trip out to Colorado to the Heritage Camp!
March 2008
Palisades NY Conference
Hard to believe sometimes the way airlines now treat paying passengers! This recent trip from RDU in Central NC to White Plains (NY) Airport was filled with surprises. Thank goodness, I wasn't due to either arrive on time or depart to return on time as neither came even close to happening. And to top it off, the airport in between, Dulles, requires you pay for their WiFi access for your laptop. So I got to pay for the privilege of being stuck in the airport in between.Survived the return, got even better after getting my original Thursday evening departure cancelled, United Express than had delays on my early morning flight that would make it impossible to make the connection they gave me. So when I arrived at the hub airport, Dulles, my one checked bag apparently had been routed on a separate plane. When I arrived at RDU and waited for all the bags of other passengers to be claimed, the airline told me I had to wait another 75min for a different plane holding my bag to arrive. They wouldn't be responsible if it was stolen! No security check at our Raleigh-Durham airport for bags once they come off the plane. Come to think of it, only in Europe in travels within past year has anyone checked to match my bag claim ticket with my bag! I was not happy -- complaints to the United 800 number went nowhere (they used to bring your bag to you if they did something like separate bag from passenger, not anymore!)
So good thing the conference in between the travels went OK and the exercise options there were fantastic. Nowhere else have I ever come across a 5 lane 25y indoor pool that was part of the conference center and set aside exclusively for lap swimming from 5am to 10pm every day!
Inspiring Swimmers!
On the inspirational front, AARP magazine has more and more people on the cover who I'm surprised turned 50, this month Jamie Lee Curtis (sure looks good for 50!). Inside an article about a guy who dropped 30lb after taking up swimming among other things and then went on to do the Alcatraz swim! Here's the link if you have time, dear reader! This guy got down to 30min/mile by reportedly doing just distance swimming. Hmm, right now after being at this for a bit over 3 years, my best is 32:30 but my total workouts range more in the 1200-1500y range (that's what I usually finish within 45min or so).And our Carolinas LMSC has an online newsletter now, with another inspirational tale of a guy (p5) who had bypass surgery in 1995, What a recovery in 13yrs! Also noted in that issue is a photo of Carly Piper. And to think when we went to Charlotte, the swimmer working with us was Carly Piper, photo featured above -- I had no idea she had already been an Olympian! Most memorable moment, doing simple freestyle dives from blocks and coast as far as you can without using your arms, Carly went fully 1/2 the length of the 25y pool repeatedly!
1Q2008
Boulder CO Class
Now the first trip of 2008 was to teach a 3 day course at my little company. Since it was in Boulder CO and I live in Central NC, had to travel day before and leave day after completing course, so it was a whole week of travels. Long trips like this give me plenty of time to reflect, sometimes on how I ought to be a lot more thankful to my family and friends than I have been!Return to Mark's index in W-S Family Wiki